Had a coffee with a retired salvage diver who said something that stuck with me

We were talking about a tricky job I did last month, pulling cable under a bridge in the Ohio River. I was complaining about the current and how I just powered through it. He looked at me and said, 'Kid, you're not a tugboat. Sometimes the best move is to let the water do the work for you.' He explained how he'd use the current to swing him into position on big jobs, saving air and energy. It hit different coming from a guy with 30 years in. Made me rethink my whole 'fight everything' approach. Anyone else have a trick for working with the current instead of against it?

PSA: That cheap string line I bought cost me a whole day's work

Got a 'professional' string line from a discount tool truck for $25 last month. Figured it was just nylon and a reel, how bad could it be? First real job with it, trying to set a straight run of 200 feet for a ranch fence. The line kept stretching, like a full inch of sag in the middle after I tensioned it. I'd set a post, move down, and the line would be off. Had to re-check every single post placement. Wasted about 8 hours redoing work and fighting the thing. Ended up tossing it in the dumpster on site and sending my helper to get my old trusty one. Lost a full day's pay, probably around $400. What's a good, no-stretch line brand you guys actually use for long runs?

Pro tip: I still have the faded map from my first thru-hike where plotting the route took an ENTIRE winter.

GPS apps are faster, but that OLD-SCHOOL effort made the journey feel more EARNED.

Vent: We're tossing out perfect copper scraps on every job and it's making us look bad to eco-friendly customers.